Two Weeks
by OSUSprinks
Summary: Hideaway contest My 1st ever FiliusPomona fic. Mona returns to Hogwarts to find pests have taken over her greenhouses. Filius comes to the rescue of her plants and perhaps Pomona herself. Happy reading!


_A/N: written for the Hideaway. It had to be 1000+ words, about a pest problem at Hogwarts, and include a badge. Well it is 4330 words. lol I don't know when to stop!_

IMPORTANT My JayeJaye78 friend (read her stuff; it is very good) put me on to this idea. She said that she had always imagined Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick together. Frankly that freaked me out a bit, but then I read a quote by JKR that she had always thought of Filius as a short wizard, not the goblin creature portrayed by Warwick Davis in the first few films. That got me to thinking that I could very much see those two together under those terms and so this story was born. I'm not going to say it is the first Fil/Mona fic out there, but there can't be many more like it. I hope you enjoy!

_Disclaimer: Not mine. Enough said._

* * *

With a loud thud, Pomona Sprout fell into her chair at the head table. She ignored the cheerful voices of those early rising staff members around her as she poured herself a very large cup of coffee and swore to herself she would never go to a conference again. It had all been Armando Dippet's doing; it was all his fault. He was the one that signed her up for the conference after she had decided it would be too long to be away from her greenhouses. He was the one who had assured her that he would find a responsible and knowledgeable substitute to take care of her precious plants and students. He was also the one she was very soon going to talk to and perhaps injure. Just one more cup of coffee and then he was going to pay. 

Pomona knew she was just blowing off steam and anyone who knew her would know that she wouldn't hurt a fly. Her frustration, however, was very real and as she swallowed the last dregs of her second cup, she decided she would have to talk to Armando, but later. First, she had to get back to her greenhouses. Just thinking about it made her want to cry. She had returned the night before to find that somehow during the last two weeks a large infestation of horklumps had taken over greenhouses one and two and was making its way into greenhouse three. She had already completely lost a few species and the pests were still making themselves at home. She had been up all night working to get rid of the mangy, pink beasts, but it seemed no matter how hard she worked there were always more. How had all this happened and in only two weeks? _Two weeks._

Pomona hadn't realized she had spoken the last bit of her rant aloud until Filius Flitwick, her good friend and colleague, placed his small hand on her arm.

His soft voice calmed her as he smiled brightly. "Mona, is everything all right?"

With a deep sigh, Pomona looked into his cheerful face, feeling her frustration begin to dwindle away. "I will be fine, Fil. It was just a long conference and I returned to find a whole herd of horklumps had moved into my greenhouses and I spent the whole night trying to get rid of them and I... I just don't know what I am going to do. There are so many and I have already lost so many plants and..." Pomona choked back a sudden sob, emotional as a long night of hard work and exhaustion caught up with her. "I'm sorry, Filius. It's just been a long day and it isn't really even time for breakfast yet," she finished weakly, trying to control the tears welling in her eyes.

"Let's take a turn around the grounds before the students are up for the day." Filius stood and wrapped her arm around his. He looked at her encouragingly and Pomona suddenly felt like a first year who could not quite manage her charms homework.

"I'm okay, Fil."

"I never said you were not. I just felt like a walk and thought you might join me."

Pomona looked pointedly at his still full breakfast plate, though she knew it was a lost cause. Filius Flitwick may have the gentlest of spirits, but he could be as stubborn as Godric himself when he wanted to be.

She had known Filius since their school days. He had been four years ahead of her at Hogwarts and during her second year, he had been asked to tutor her in charms, an area in which she was still hopeless, despite all his attempts. She smiled as she thought back to those hours spent together in the classroom he still taught charms in. She had told him then he would make an excellent teacher. She remembered how he had chuckled and shared his dream of becoming a champion dueler. At the time it had seemed an improbable dream for someone of his stature, but he had accomplished it and when he was done, he had returned to Hogwarts. He had begun teaching only two years before, but he had been an instant favorite among the student body and his colleagues. Pomona, who had taken her dream job of Hogwarts' Herbology Mistress only a year before Filius had been hired, was at times jealous of her friend and tried to incorporate elements of his laid back teaching style into her own firm approach. All these years later and Pomona still found herself learning from this man.

Pomona looked at her good friend, perhaps her best friend at Hogwarts, as they walked through the empty corridors. He was rather short for a wizard, but she had always found his height attractive. He was one of the few staff members, and people really, which she could look in the eye as they stood together. His short brown hair and close beard set off strong facial features. She knew that if she looked closely enough there would still be a small scar above his thin upper lip, faded, but visible. It was a reminder that she still had days when she could not perform a proper switching spell, although he had tried his best to teach her, and earned himself a fat lip in the process.

Pomona had not realized she was staring at Filius until he winked at her, and as she turned away, a blush gracing her already rosy cheeks, she suddenly realized they were outside and standing in front of the door to her office. She could not believe they had come this far without her noticing.

Filius dropped her arm from his, only to take her hand. "Come, Vertumnus, come," he muttered and she stared at him in astonishment.

"How do you know my password?" Her mother had always told her the story about the nymph Pomona was named after and the man who loved her above all else, Vertumnus. She had been using this same password for her rooms for years, both at Hogwarts and before.

Filius began to chuckle as he led her into the room and sat down on her sofa, bringing her with him and breaking her thoughts. "Pomona, you don't spend twenty years of your life getting to know a person and not know certain things about her. Besides, don't you remember the night you passed your candidacy exam? Well, of course you don't. You had so much wine that night I ended up nearly carrying you home. It took you nearly twenty minutes to remember your password and I swore I would never forget it."

He began to laugh at the memory, but Pomona did not join him. "Oh that was horrible. I'm sure the night was grand, but I would have rather not woken up the next morning. Thanks for ridding my flat of hangover remedy, by the way. I never did get revenge for that one." She finally began to laugh as well. Her stress level was decreasing steadily and she knew it had everything to do with Filius. He always had this affect on her.

"Now, now, I was just trying to teach you a lesson." At her doubtful look, he continued. "And I might have been in need of a potion as well. But no matter, you will have your revenge today. Let me have a look at those horklumps."

"Oh, Filius, you don't have to help me. I'm sure if I-"

"I won't take no for an answer. Besides, I may be able to come up with a charm to remove the pests, or at least stop their spread."

She tried not to look too eager as she accepted his help. She knew the job would be easier with him around.

* * *

Filius leant back against the door frame and watched Pomona tenderly take care of the crocus, her favorite flower. They were not very useful from a teaching or even a magical point of view, but she loved them and if Filius could, he would give her a greenhouse full of the short, bright, happy flowers and charm the space so the early rising buds would bloom year round. He would do whatever it took to make Pomona smile and it had been that way since they met. 

He smiled as he thought back to that first lesson. He had offered his services when he had over heard their charms professor complaining about a hopeless second year Hufflepuff. At the time Filius had thought he had been persuasive in his reasoning that it would help him review charms, but now that he was a professor he realized how inappropriate it had been for Professor Madstone to have been talking about Pomona where a student could overhear her. He supposed that letting him help had been her only way to ensure he would not talk about what he heard. Not that it mattered now. He had met Pomona in the classroom he taught in today and that had been it for him. She had walked in the door, round, rosy cheeks, long, brown hair, and bright, brown eyes, the exact color of his favorite chocolate bar. Her giggle was infectious and still was to this day. Pomona was adorable when concentrating on something and she worked so hard, even when it seemed hopeless. He was proud to say that they had made quite a bit of progress during the two years he had tutored her in both charms and transfiguration. But it had only taken two weeks for him to realize he had lost his heart forever.

Pomona startled him when she turned suddenly to the next table to check for damage. He was thankful it was Saturday and they had been able to spend so much uninterrupted time together, even if they had been working. It had taken Filius quite a few tries, but eventually he had been able to levitate the horklumps off of Pomona's beloved plants. He had been about to banish the pests when Pomona mentioned her friend David. He was apparently running some sort of garden gnome habitat and she thought he would appreciate the donation of so much of the gnome's favorite food.

_Did he remember David?_ Filius had been able to check his frustration, but only just. Of course he remembered the Gryffindor who had been two years behind him at Hogwarts. It seemed that each time Filius worked up the courage to talk to Pomona or ask her on a date David Kettleburn would swoop in and beat him to the chase. When they had been in school together, Filius had accepted it. After all, he was just a middling wizard with more than a dash of goblin blood running through his veins and no real prospects for a job, prejudices being what they were. He would never win against Kettleburn, a large, brawny, golden boy who loved to work outside as much as Pomona. In the last few years, Filius' opinion of himself had changed and he had decided it was time to do something about his feelings. He had applied for the job at Hogwarts as soon as Pomona had owled to say she had been hired and had mentioned there was another opening. After years of traveling the globe, Pomona Sprout had decided to settle down, and Filius refused to let this opportunity slip by him.

Yet, he had been at Hogwarts for two years and had made no move. It seemed that moving back to Hogwarts had brought back all of his old insecurities and some new ones. He found that he was a natural teacher and he loved his job. If he approached Pomona and things did not work out as he wished, would he have to leave Hogwarts? Would he be able to stay and see her each day, knowing that he could never be with her?

He had been dealing with those questions for two years, but one mention of David Kettleburn and he suddenly knew the answer. No matter what the consequences, he would tell Pomona how he felt, how he had always felt about her, and he would tell her today! Now, he just needed to figure out how.

At that moment, Pomona turned around and moved toward him, wiping her muddy hands on the old robes she wore.

"Oh, Fil, I don't know how I will ever thank you. If I would have tried to get rid of those beasts the traditional way, I probably would not have a single plant left."

"Anything for you, Mona. You know that." Filius tried to keep his tone light, but from the look on her face, he had failed. Without allowing himself time to think, he continued. "W-would you join me for dinner, I mean I know we eat dinner together every night, but I meant out...somewhere. You don't have to if you-" He trailed off as she literally beamed at him.

"What a wonderful idea. I'll buy. It is the least I can do after all your help. I'll get washed up and let Armando know." She was out the door and walking toward her office before Filius had time to process what had just happened.

After twenty years, he had finally asked her out, and she had not even realized it. And now she was going to pay for him, on their first date, which was not even really a date, apparently. Filius shook his head in wonder. "Nice going, Fil," he muttered as he made his way back to his rooms to change.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at the door to his personal rooms. He assumed it was Pomona as she had firecalled him a few minutes before and agreed to meet him there. Filius looked around the room once more before making his way to the door. 

It was not a long walk from Pomona's greenhouses to his personal rooms, but on the way, he had been struck with inspiration. He was not going to let their first date, whether she realized it was a date or not, be ruined. A short talk with the house elves, a few spells to decorate his sitting room, and a quick shower later, Filius was ready for her.

He opened the door and the sight took his breath away, and not for pleasant reasons. Before him stood a sheepish-looking Pomona and an always dashing David Kettleburn. Filius felt his blood begin to boil. Taking a step forward, he greeted them, hoping that the dozens of candles and roses he had sprinkled throughout the room were not visible as he quickly closed the door behind him.

"Mona, Kettleburn. This is a surprise."

"Hello there, boy. I just stopped by to pick up Pompom's special delivery and found her looking pretty as a pea, as always. So I invited her out to dinner and she mentioned you had plans. Now, you don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

Filius tried to control his shudder at the man's horrible choice of a nickname for his Pomona. He looked at her and found her looking more uncomfortable and more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Her hair was down and it looked as though she had been curling it. She was wearing a pale yellow dress, which he had never seen before. Her face was made up, for the first time he could remember and there was a pleading look of desperation in those beautiful brown eyes.

It suddenly struck Filius that perhaps she had not misunderstood his request after all. Perhaps, for once, he had beaten Kettleburn to the chase and had the upper hand.

Taking another step forward, he placed himself beside Pomona and looked up at Kettleburn. "Actually we have reservations for two, and I don't believe we can change them this late. Perhaps another time, David. I'm sure you can find your way out, can't you?" He swallowed his nervousness as he turned to Pomona and held out his hand to her. "Are you ready, Mona?"

Filius had not realized his heart had stopped beating, until she smiled at him brightly. As she took his hand, it began again, pounding so loudly, he was sure the sound was echoing down the hall.

"Yes, perhaps another time David. Maybe Fil and I can find someone to set you up with. A double date or something." She was rambling now, grasping his hand tightly as if she was afraid he would let go.

The towering giant looked down at them both and for the first time Filius recognized the man's resemblance to Goliath. Kettleburn seemed to have lost some of his gusto in the last few moments and Filius felt his chest swell with pride.

"Well if you are both sure, that would be nice, Pompom. I'll be going now. Have a nice night." Kettleburn turned and made his way down the hall.

Filius waited until his footsteps could no longer be heard before turning to Pomona. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. Their eyes barely made contact before she threw herself in his arms. Filius was stunned. She began to sob, and Filius finally remembered they were standing in the middle of the hall. Wrapping his arms around her, he led them into his rooms and onto his sofa. Now that they were alone, he had no idea what he was supposed to do, so he just held her in his arms as she cried.

Pomona felt so silly. Filius had just saved her from a most awkward situation and here she was sobbing instead of thanking him. She had been so excited when he had asked her to dinner. Even if it was not meant as a date, she had been determined to make the most of it and had raced to her rooms. Once there she had showered, dried her hair, tried on nearly everything in her closet before deciding on her new dress, and done her makeup in less time than it usually took her to just get dressed in the morning. She had been on her third hair style when there was a knock on the door. She had hurried to answer it, worried she was running so late Filius had come to look for her. It had taken everything in her not to cry when she found David Kettleburn at her door.

She supposed she and David were friends, but that was mainly because she did not want to hurt him. He could be a very nice guy when he wanted, but most of the time he was so full of himself that he forgot others were around. They had gone on dates now and again over the years, when he would finally wear Pomona down, but it had never been serious. If she was honest with herself, none of the dates she had been on in the fifteen years had been serious and to be truthful, Filius was the reason for that. He had always been her friend, but he never seemed to see her as anything more than that and she had been afraid that they would only ever be friends.

She had felt miserable showing up at his door with David in tow. She knew the two were not friends, but David had refused to take no for an answer. All she could do was hope that Filius would rescue her and he had. He had been so sweet and so convincing that David had left. She had almost been convinced as well. Her exhaustion and the emotional roller coaster she had been on, first due to her plants and then with Filius and David, had caught up with her as David walked away. She was not even sure why she was crying anymore. It had just been a horrible day.

As Pomona calmed down, she realized that Filius had cradled her in his arms and she was currently soaking the softest pair of dark blue dress robes she had ever felt. Sitting up, she began wiping her tears and looked around her. The room was dark, dimly lit by the candles Filius had obviously put out only moments before. A soft fire shed light on a table for two. She nearly started to cry again as she saw dinner laid out and a small planter of crocus decorating the table. Taking a closer look, she realized he had filled the room with flowers. She turned to look at Filius and began to cry again.

"I-I'm sorry, Mona." The sadness in his voice made her look back up at him. Tears were now streaming down his cheeks as well. She started to speak, to stop him, but he wouldn't let her continue. "I wanted to ask you on a date, a real date, and you didn't seem to realize that. So I... And then you showed up at the door with Kettleburn and I don't know what came over me. You just looked so beautiful." Filius placed a hand at either side of her face, wiping away her tears. "You still look so beautiful."

"I do?" Her voice sounded husky from her sobs. She nearly started crying again as he nodded.

"You always have, even with pigtails when you were twelve." His hands moved from her face to her hair, running his fingers through it. "I guess I should tell you that I love you, Margaret Pomona Sprout, and I have since I was sixteen."

She began to cry again even as she cringed. "Only you can get away with using my real name, Filius."

"Can I get away with this?" She froze as he leaned forward. She watched for what seemed like an eternity as his lips came closer and closer. Finally they touched hers in the lightest of kisses. She was disappointed when he leant back. She opened her eyes, which she could not remember closing.

Biting her bottom lip, Pomona shook her head. As Filius moved away, his red face showing his embarrassment, Pomona made the first bold move of her life and grabbed his hand. "No, I'm not letting you get away ever again, Filius." With that, she kissed him with all the passion twenty years of longing could muster.

* * *

They sat in her rooms after dinner, chatting about their day. Filius sat on one end of Pomona's sofa, while she lay across it with her feet in his lap. As he started to massage them, she finished telling him about the new cutting she had received that morning. Her greenhouses would soon be back to normal, thanks to all the connections she had made in her travels. He could not believe they had only been together like this for two weeks, it felt like a lifetime and no time at all. 

"I forgot to tell you that David Kettleburn owled me today."

Pomona sat up with a start. "David? What on earth did he want?"

He smiled as he wondered how he had ever been jealous of the poor sod. "He was asking about our double date. He seems to think that we owe him dinner since we snubbed him two weeks ago."

Pomona sat up completely, sliding down so she was right next to him before sitting with her legs under her. "The nerve of him when he was the one who invited himself to dinner. Who would we set him up with anyway? I would not wish him on anyone for the world."

Filius put one arm behind her so he could play with her soft hair. He had noticed that over the last two weeks, Pomona had become a bit more outspoken and seemed to tell him what was on her mind a bit more. He wondered if he was just paying more attention now or if he was rubbing off on her. She was certainly having a good effect on him. He had actually caught himself singing in the shower the other day and while Pomona had assured him he sang very well, it had been startling to realize how incredibly happy she had made him.

"I was thinking perhaps that new ministry woman, the one who gave you all the problems about importing your new cuttings." He tried to keep his face neutral, but her expression caused him to let loose with his laugh.

"Dolores Umbridge? That would be just too mean. How about my sister? She owes me a favor and I would love it if you two met."

Filius smiled. "I would love to meet Carrie too. Why don't you see when she is available and in the meantime we can decide how to thank David for this."

He had been waiting all day to show Pomona the surprise David had sent along with his letter. He pulled it out of his pocket as he unrolled the fabric badge. Larger than both his hands put together, the badge was obviously made for display on the back of a jacket. The background flashed between bright orange and green and in bold yellow letters it read "SAGS."

"SAGS? He expects me to wear something that says I sag?" The look on her face was everything FIlius had imagined when he first seen the badge.

"Society for Agrarian Gnome Survival, and yes dear, I believe he means for us both to wear them." He took another badge from his pocket, handing it to her as well. "Apparently we are Honorary Lifetime Members."

Pomona looked at him, her expression serious. "You can meet Carrie later. I am firecalling Dolores first thing in the morning." She looked back to the badges in her hand. "SAGS! The nerve of that man. I do not sag!"

Filius tried to contain his laughter as he turned her head to kiss her. "Yes, dear."

* * *

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. :) Sprinkles _


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